Road Running / Cross Country Reports 2007-8
Click on headline to see report
Now in its 27th year, the Swansea Bay 10K and supporting races took place last weekend and proved to be a successful day for many of the Cwmbran Harriers middle distance squad athletes.
Singleton Park, Swansea was the venue for the start of the Gwent League Cross Country season
A wet and muddy Swansea Singleton Park was the venue for the annual Welsh Cross Country Championships at the weekend. Normally one of the most difficult courses in Wales, the conditions made competition even more testing for the hundreds of Athletes vying for individual and team awards The highlights of the day for Cwmbran's distance runners came from Matthew Antoniazzi in the under 13 race and the four members of the under 15 boys Team, both securing their respective Gold medals in style despite the muddy conditions.
The under 15 boys team race was always going to be difficult to predict as Cwmbran and Cardiff were finally able to turn out thier best foursome, having put Newport under little pressure for most of the season. There was very little between the teams at the halfway point, but then Cwmbran's James Hanrahan, Alex Edwards, George Philpott and Freddy Naseriyan started to pull away, leaving the Newport team trailing in second place. The margin would have been even greater if James, having recently recovered from illness, had been at his usual best. The other two members of the team, Ryan Parker and Marcus Price also ran well, showing much promise for the future.
Following his win at the Welsh Inter-Regional Championships earlier in the season, young Matthew Antoniazzi was able to put even more distance between him and his nearest rivals from West Wales The young Harrier was content to sit in behind the lead in the early stages, but then started to put the pressure on through the woods steadily increasing his lead over North Wales' Tom Earley to almost 200 metres at the finish.
Cwmbran's Welsh U20 International Jenna Roberts U20 also ran well to finish a close second and an improving Vicky Shaw U17 finishing 7th in a combined U17/U20 race Natasha Cockram U15 was slightly disappointed with her 5th position, being normally amongst the medals, but Ellie Leek U13 was pleased with her 7th place.
Amongst the boys, Mike Kershaw U17, who is only just returning to form, secured a creditable 4th place. He is looking forward to being right back to his best for the UK trials in Nottingham on the ides of March. Two other U20 junior men Jonathon Peters and Gavin Hanrahan who finished 7th & 8th respectively also hope to be right back to fitness by the 15th.
All the Cwmbran endurance squad athletes will have the opportunity to check their performances before the fast approaching International season, at the prestigious Gwent Cross Country League in Bristol at the weekend.
Bristol's Blaise Castle was the venue for the final match in the prestigious and highly competitive Gwent Cross Country Athletics series on saturday. Hundreds of competitors and teams of all ages from the South Midlands, West Country and Wales had contested the five matches held at different venues throughout the winter culminating in the series awards ceremony at Blaise, where Cwmbran Harrier Athletes figured strongly.
Over the season, Cwmbran had fielded a total of forty six members from thier powerful middle and long distance squad, so it was particularly pleasing when the talented 15 year old Natasha Cockram and 20 year old Afan Humphries, in his first season as a Senior man, were successful in winning the series Champion in thier respective age groups to add to thier growing bank of championship gold bullion awards.
Narrowly missing out on Gold, Gavin Hanrahan and Jenna Roberts in the under 20 age group, and Mike Kershaw, in the under 17's, competed consistently well to collect the individual Silver trophies. The under 20 men's quartet of Gavin, Ieuan Thomas, Jon Peters and Dan Lester also won the Team Gold award, with Jenna's Team, which was unfortunately depleted due to illness, collecting Bronze.
The League provides competition for athletes as young as 10, so Cwmbran's enthusiastic 'mini' girls team of Megan James, Chelsie Harris, Olivia Turley, Amy Price, Samantha Walker, Isobel Jones and Hannah Grey became particularly animated when they realised they had won the under 11 team bronze award. Next season several of them will join promising third placed 12 year old Ellie Leek who finished third on the day, in the under 13 year old age group. Stephen Scarfi also performed well to finish 5th under 13 boy overall.
Team manager and Coach, Dave Lewis commented that Cwmbran's talented squads of middle distance Athletes were showing great promise with many of them hoping for selection in the forthcoming UK International season. The first opportunity for this will come in next weekend's Welsh Schools Championships being held at Brecon. Teams of six juniors and intermediates will go forward to the UK and Ireland Championships to be held in Perth Scotland on the 29th March. This year Scotland will also be the hosts for the World Cross Country Championships to be held in Edinburgh on the 30th March.